Thanksgiving Photos

Nik is exploring photography and took family photos on Thanksgiving. She is incredibly talented and we have all benefited from her new hobby so much already. Thanks for the memories Nik!

(Oh yes, handsome IS and understatement. Our little nephews are so precious!)

(Danny and Dad deep frying the bird!)

Nik is hilarious, and apparently that comes in handy with photography. Her ways of getting us to let loose and laugh were quite amusing. She had us cracking up. We had so much fun!

This is classic Maddy and Taylor. Such hams. Oh, how we love them!

(Oliver, Nikki, Ryan)


(Jess, Danny, Reece, Maddy, Taylor)

We also got to meet Ty's Eddie. What a sweetheart.

(My little twin brothers- Ty and Tanner- not so little anymore.)

Mom and Dad. These pictures make my heart so happy. :)

Big brother Aaron and one of his little rascals Bralyn.

(My pumpkin cheesecake. Ok, I am a little proud of this one. :) )

This Thanksgiving I am grateful to have had ALL my siblings together- Aaron, Nikki, Jessie, Ty, and Tanner. Things are not perfect, but what family is? In case you didn't know- I admire each of you and am so thankful to be your sister.

Salt Lake City, Part 2

(Temple Square)

I really look forward to general conference. Every 6 months I get to listen to counsel that will help me be a better person and live an abundant life.

(Riding the trax to Temple Square.)


(The Conference Center)

Unfortunately there are a number of angry protesters outside, so people line the sidewalks and sing in attempt to keep things peaceful. Somehow it works. I loved walking through them. You can't help but smile.

Some of my favorites:


1. Elder Holland thanked members and non-members for all they do and reminded us of our individual worth, saying not one of us is insignificant to our loving Heavenly Father.

2. My favorite talk from that morning was from Elder Uchtdorf. It was an important reminder to slow down and focus on that which matters most.

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Thanks girls for a fun trip. I had a blast. Love ya. :)

Salt Lake City, Part 1

(Mom. Lindsey. Katie.)

For several years Katie and Mom and I have been talking about taking a trip to Salt Lake together to go to General Conference. (I cheated and took that trip with my honey first. They understood. :)) We usually all curl up on Mom and Dad's sectional in our PJs for conference and enjoy a delicious Woodhouse pancake breakfast in between sessions. But this time- we were excited to pack up and actually be there!

But before I get to our experiences at Conference, I want to say a few things about our sweet family that we were able to spend time with.

The morning after we landed in Salt Lake, I went to see my cousin Chels- the very talented owner of 'The Cutting Crew' hair salon. Here she is working her magic- one piece of foil at a time...!

This is cousin Jen's sweet little Acacia and their bird Salsa. She is a ham and about as sweet as they come. She made us smile all weekend. Love ya kiddo.

I was so excited when I heard my cousin Melissa and Uncle Greg were in Utah. I hadn't seen Melissa since I was little. I don't have many memories with her, but I do remember going to the city ballpark to watch her play baseball games. I remember looking up to her because she was (and holy cow... still is) so beautiful- and she could play baseball. She was just so cool. :)

And this is Uncle Greg (mom's little brother). I think his heart is double-sized. He radiates warmth and kindness and I just love him.

A few years ago when we all met in Boise for cousin Tara's wedding, Uncle Greg and I did some serious swing dancing at the reception. I had no clue what I was doing, but it didn't matter. I just held on! Notice my left hand's grip- he can really twirl you everywhere. So luckily he humored me and spun me around a little when I asked him.

Before spending a few hours at Kohls and filling up mom's suitcase, we had lunch with my friend Gina. We were probably laughing too much to remember to take pictures...
Thanks for the date at Chilis, I miss you!

This is Beatrice and her son Tony who were visiting from Africa so Tony could have surgery. Aunt Laurie had met them by chance earlier that week and invited them over for dinner. By the end of the night we felt like we had known Beatrice forever. She also had one of those double-sized hearts and a very kind spirit about her. They had a beautiful story that reminded me love and family can get you through just about anything.

(Aunt Laurie, Chels, Melissa, Uncle Greg, me, Mom, Uncle Scott.)
Something else I took away from this trip was some good conversation with Uncle Scott. I'm thankful for our chats we had at the breakfast table while jamming to Eric Clapton- and your BBQ chicken. (Delicious!)

This family is always up for a good card game. I caught my sweet, innocent mother peeking at my cards several times so I had to tease her and document it.

So we may not have had a Woodhouse pancake breakfast, but Chels took us to a really yummy breakfast diner. French toast + some of my favorite ladies in the whole world = one happy me.